Collapsible beach rocking chair



Feb. 27, 1951 Filed Aug. 14, 1947 c. GOMES ET AL 2,543,543

COLLAPSIBLE BEACH ROCKING CHAIR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 'INVENTO'RS CHARLE5 Gowns 5ynvlo Cma'muo COR'H'EA.

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C. GCMES ET AL COLLAPSIBLE BEACH ROCKING CHAIR Feb. 27, 1951 Flled Aug 14 1947 eaentea Pet. 2?, 951

CDLLAIPSIBLE BEACH ROCKING CHAIR Charles Gomes and Sylvio Caetano Correa, New York, N. Y.

Application August 14, 1947, Serial No. 768,610

1 Claim. (Cl. 155-76) This invention relates to chairs, and particularly to a chair of the kind especially adapted for use as a piazza, deck or beach chair.

The general aim of the invention is to. provide new and useful improvements in a rocking chair having interpivoted frame structures, and. with canvas or other suitable nexlble sheet elements variously arrangeable for constituting in combination Wlth said frame structures supports for the seat, back and legs of an occupant of 4 the chair.

An object. is to provide a light weight, portable and collapsible arm chair which incorporates frame structures made up of straight members throughout, for giving an improved chair and yet one capable of being'sold at a moderate price commensurate with the permitted low cost of manulacture.

A feature of the invention i the provision of readily removable securing means for the nexible elements, whereby the latterwhen soiled may be i disconnected for laundering and when too worn may be removed for replacement by substitute elements. J

Another feature of theinvention is the pro- .vision of a meansfor practicably readjusting the 'said support for the legs of the chair occupant, to change its angle of inclination, independent of any resetting of other readjusting means provided for changing the angle of-inclination of the back support; and this according to an arrangement, preferably, whereby said support for the legs may be evendropped substantially vertically, thus in effect to change the nature of into one which is a non-rocking one.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawing and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawing forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. l is a perspective view of one now preferred embodiment, in one adjustment of the parts. I

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail view, being a section -iee nonine line??? are.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is also an enlarged detail view, being a section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of the chair of Figs. 1-4, collapsed.

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7, like Fig. 1, is a perspective view, showing a modification, in one possible adjustment of the parts.

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of the chair of Fig. 7.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and first particularly to Figs. l6, the chair shown includes the pair of like straight frame members It, and the pair of like straight frame members I l. Each of the members I i! is pivoted to a dlfierent one of the members i i, as indicated at I 2.

Above the pivots 52, the members it together provide the sides of the chair back, and below said pivots, said members provide the fore legs of the chair; said members being joined at their tops by a cross piece l4 and at their bottoms by a cross rod I 5, thus establishing a rectangular quadrilateral frame.

Forward of said pivots I2 the members H provide the sides of the chair seat, and rearward of said pivots'said members provide the rear legs of the chair; said members H being joined near their-forward ends by a cross rod i6 and at their rear ends by a cross rod i1, thus establishing another rigid rectangular quadrilateral frame.

notches the oppositely projected ends of the cross 40 rod i5 are adapted to rest.

Forward of the frame including the members H extend the two like straight members 20, joined at their rear ends by the cross rod 2| to the forward ends of the members H; said members 29 being connected at their forward ends by a cross rod 22.

Set also in the rectangular frame thus established by the members 26 and the elements 2| and 22, this frame providing a leg support, is the cross rod 23. And set also in the frame established by the members IE] and the elements l4 and H5 is the cross rod 24.

The cros rods It, 25, 2| and 23 are of like construction, the details of which construction are shown in Fig. 2, in connection with the crossrod 3 23; which detailsit first being noted that a pair of like straight members 25 are suspended by the cross rod 23 from the frame which includes the members 2El--will now be described.

Referring to said Fig. 2, said cross rod 23 is comprised of a rod 26 integrally carrying at one end a cylindrical head 21 and threaded at its other end. A cylindrical internally threaded head 28, like the head 2?, is screwed on the threaded end of the rod 26. To maintain proper spread of the frame, a sleeve 29 is on the rod 26.

The cross rod 15 may, like the cross rods I6, 24 and -2l, be of a construction similar to that just described, to maintain proper spread of the lower ends of the members It! and to provide the end projections of the cross rod l which as already explained coact with the notches l9 of the rockers 18.

However, the purpose of providing the illustrated and described construction for the cross rods [6, 2|, 24 and 23 is to make these readily Withdrawa'ble, for permitting a canvas back and seat member Bil and/or a canvas leg support member 3| to be readily removed for laundering. Each of the canvas members 30 and 3| at each of its opposite ends has a marginal portion folded under, and then stitched in place across the member as indicated in Fig. l at 30 30 3% and 3|.

I Thus at each end of each member 39 and 3! a hollow seam or transverse pocket is provided for receiving the main length of the appropriate one of the cross rods i6, 2i, 23 and 24; thereby removably to hang in place the two canvas members as shown in Fig. 1, and as indicated in Fig. 3 in the case of the forward end of the canvas member 3 l.

The chair arms 32 are respectively pivoted as indicated at 33 to the members l0, and said arms are also pivoted at 34 to positioning struts 35 each pivoted to one of the arms 2 I.

The members 25 which depend from the leg support frame including the canvas 3 I, are themselves included in a frame completed by an inter- .mediate cross rod 37 and a bottom cross rod 38,

which latter serves also to pivotally connect said frame with the rockers i8. Said rockers are coupled intermediate their ends by a cross rod 39.

Said cross rod 35 is similar in construction to the cross rod 57 which couples the rear end portions of the rockers l8; each of said cross rods incorporating in a well known manner a central rod 43 headed over at opposite ends at the outer sides of the rockers and carrying a sleeve between the rockers. The same construction, including the central rod 4!, is employed for the cross rod 22 at the forward end of the leg support including the canvas 3!, and for the cross rod 31.

In the case of the cross rod 38 near the forward ends of the rockers I 8, an analogous construction is employed, except that three sleeves 42, 43 and 44 are spaced along the central rod 45 here used.

The compact manner in which the chair may be collapsed is shown in Fig. 5; each member ll being inwardly displaced from the adjacent member ill, at the pivot !2, by a spacer 45 as shown in Fig. 4. As the parts are shown in Fig. 1, al-

most a chaise longue is provided. According to the setting of the oppositely projected ends of the cross rod is in the various notches IQ of the rockers I8 the chair is rearranged. The farther back the selected notches, the closer the chair back is to the vertical.

Referring to the modification of Figs. 7 and 8,

reference numerals are the same or substantially the same, respectively, as the parts indicated in Figs. 1-6 by corresponding reference numerals without primes.

In Figs. '7 and 8, however, the rockers I8 are provided with a second series of notches 46. The frame including the members 25 is interchangeably engageable with difierent ones of the notches 46, and there is associated with the rear ends of the rockers l8 a single mean instantaneously adjustable to transform the chair to a non-rocking one.

Thus, for coaction with said notches 46, the lower ends of the members 25' are connected by a cross piece 41 similar in construction to that of the cross piece 15. By virtue'of this provision, the angle of extension of the leg support frame including the canvas 3| may be changed, by adjustment of the members 25' relative to the notches, independently of variations of the chair back inclination, by adjustment of the members l0 relative to the notches [9. Also, as shown in Fig. 7, the leg support frame including the members 20 may be lowered substantially to the vertical, as indicated in dot and dash at 29, the frame including the members 25' becoming then disposed as shown at 25". Because of the lack of pivotal fixation of the cross rod 41 relative to the forward ends of the rockers 18', the latter are connected by a cross rod 48 similar in construction to the cross rod 39'.

The single means for transforming the chair to a non-rocking one comprises a pair of cylindrical blocks 49 of fairly soft rubber or the like, which normally lie across the upper edges of the rockers IB', as shown in full lines. Supported on arms 50, the blocks 49 rest by gravity on the tops of the rockers I8, after being so placed when the chair is set up. Said arms 50 are apertured at their upper ends and extended through these apertures is a rod 5| on the opposite ends of which are secured the blocks 49.,

Said arms are also apertured at their lower ends, through which apertures there is extended a rod 52 joining the rockers l8 which at its opposite ends passes through the same. Collars 53 are fixed on the rod 52, to maintain the arms 59 spread to hold the blocks 49 across the tops of the rockers I8 when the blocks are to be inoperative. Whenever it is desired to render said blocks operative to make the chair a nonrocking one, the rod 5| is swung in a clockwise direction as indicated by the arrows A in Figs. 6 and 7 to transfer the blocks to the locations indicated in dot and dash at 49' in Fig. '7, under the bottoms of the rockers.

While we have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the precise constructions herein disclosed and the right is reserved to all changes and modifications coming within the scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is:

A chair comprising a pair of rockers, a first rectangular quadrilateral frame having straight side members, a second similar frame having straight side members, pivotal connections between each of the first named side members and one of the second named side members, said connections intermediate the ends of said side members, said first frame above said connections providing the side parts of a back support framing means and below said connections providing a pair of fore legs for the chair and said second frame above said connections providing the side parts of a seat support framing means and below said connections providing a pair of rear legs for the chair, said rear legs near their lower ends pivoted. to the rockers about fixed points thereon near their rear ends, said rockers forward of their mid portions having notches therein, means carried by said first frame and outwardly projected beyond the side members thereof adjacent the lower ends of said fore legs for co-engagement with selected ones of said notches, an elongated flexible sheet secured across one end to said first frame near its upper end, said sheet secured across its other end-to said second frame near its forward end, said sheet acting as a seat and back support, there being a third rectangular quadrilateral frame having straight side members, said third frame pivotally connected at its rear end to said second frame near its forward end so that said members provide the side parts of a leg support framing means, an elongated fiexible sheet secured across its opposite ends to said third frame near the opposite ends of the latter, said sheet acting as a leg support, there being a fourth rectangular quadrilateral frame having straight side members, said fourth frame pivotally connected at its top to the front end of said third frame, the rockers having other notches therein than those first mentioned, means carried by the fourth frame and out wardly projected beyond the opposite sides thereof for co-engagement with selected ones of the last named notches, whereby the inclination of said leg support may be varied independently of variation of the inclinations of said first and second frames, the means for thus securing said flexible sheets comprising cross rods one extending through the side members of said first frame and one extending through the side members of said second frame and two extending through the side members of said third frame, each of said cross rods having enlarged heads at opposite ends, one of said heads being removably carried by each cross rod for ready take-down of the cross rods to permit removal of said sheets, and one of said cross rods constituting the pivot-proper of the aforesaid means for pivotally connecting said second and third frames.

CHARLES GOMES.

SYLVIO CAETANO CORREA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 256,390 Shepardson Apr. 11, 1882 444,992 Pohl Jan. 20, 1891 637,706 Brown Nov. 21, 1899 1,244,389 Stockwell Oct. 23, 1917 1,323,946 VJright Dec. 2, 1919 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 16,558 Great Britain 1910 

